Towards the end of Day 5 on our epic Pacific Coast Highway trip, we finally crossed over the state line into California. All along the route we were passing billboards for the Trees of Mystery, and it just looked like something we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see.
We were already excited as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, and saw the massive Paul Bunyan statue – we knew we’d made the right choice. Not only is the statue huge, and it waves, but there is a massive speaker inside the mouth, and the individual handling the front desk in the lobby was using it to individually welcome guests. The guy was actually hilarious, and scared a few folks when they walked up!
There is honestly so much to do within the park, and you could spent hours here if you had the time. We really came mostly for the canopy walk, and we were excited about how much else there was to see and do!
The canopy walk was one continuous loop made of multiple bridges. They ranged in height and length, and some were definitely scarier than others. Only one person was allowed on a bridge at a time, and while they do move a bit, they don’t swing wildly, so it wasn’t too bad.
We started walking up the stairway and I was immediately a bit scared, and slightly regretting our choice. While I am afraid of heights, it was definitely worth it and the most beautiful views.
At the end of each bridge you’d be on a small ledge around the trunk of a tree, and looking down was quite alarming.
It was honestly so cool to be so high up and get a completely different view of the forest.
There is also a gondola that you can take across the top of the forest. It actually goes quite a ways, and round trip was probably about 15-20 minutes of super interesting views.
After being at the top of the forest for a while, we got to explore the rest of the trails on the ground, with a ton of interesting sights. This grouping of trees, all from one base, called the Cathedral Tree, is a spot where they have a lot of weddings and other ceremonies. Later along the trail they had a smaller version of this (about 4 or 5 feet tall) with a sign letting you know that you can book your wedding for 3,000 years from now when it will be fully grown.
Honestly the trees were just incredibly massive, and the entire walk was breathtaking. It’s wild to think about how long the trees have been there, and how unique the forests are.
Some of the root systems have grown partially above ground over the years, and they had a few spots where you could actually walk (crawl) underneath the root system – definitely something children will enjoy if you’re bringing some along with you on the trails.
As you head out towards the end of the trails, there are a bunch of beautiful sculptures made from the redwoods.
My favorite was this one of a squirrel running down a tree. It’s hard to tell the scale by the photo, but this was HUGE!
At the exit, there is an old tree that fell at some point, and then was cut so that you can view the age of the tree by its size. It was pretty wild to think about how long this tree stood, and I was getting a kick just out of touching the different parts of the tree.
Overall, highly recommend stopping here if you’re driving down the coast, or even making it a day trip from the bay area. It’s a perfect way to really take in the Redwood forests in an immersive way, and to learn more about the history of the Redwoods. After a nice walk, we jumped back into the car for our next and final destination of the day, Eureka, California. Check out the full Pacific Coast road trip itinerary here!
